imperence

imperence
   This was at one time a vulgar corruption of ‘impudence’, influenced by ‘impertinence’. It was used at the end of the eighteenth and beginning of the nineteenth centuries, occurring as a vocative in The Pickwick Papers, by Charles Dickens. A young lady admonishes a man with: ‘Let me alone, imperence.’ In a similar situation, a woman dealing with a flirtatious young man, the term is used again later in the novel to Sam Weller: ‘“It’s natur; ain’t it, cook?” “Don’t ask me, imper-ence,” replied the cook, in a high state of delight’

A dictionary of epithets and terms of address . . 2015.

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  • imperence — noun impertinence Dont go away, Mary, said the black eyed man. Let me alone, imperence, said the young lady …   Wiktionary

  • imperence — im·per·ence …   English syllables

  • imperence — ˈimpərən(t)s noun ( s) Etymology: by alteration substand Britain : impudence …   Useful english dictionary

  • impudence —    The word used as a term for an impudent person. John Dryden, in An Evening’s Love (1671), has: ‘Peace, impudence, and see my face no more.’ Mrs Jennings, in Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, converts the word into a nonce name: ‘“Did you… …   A dictionary of epithets and terms of address

  • saucy —    ‘You get on with yer tea, saucy!’ says a woman to a man in Love in Quiet Places, by Bernard Thompson. This is the modern version of ‘saucebox’, or ‘impudence’, ‘imperence’ …   A dictionary of epithets and terms of address

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